Just how corrosive is 7.62 x 54R?

[Plinker]

I like to shoot my Mosin Nagant 91/30. But I don't always get around to cleaning it right away, sometimes may take a week or so. So... just how corrosive is the milsurp ammo? Same as storing the rifle in a saline solution? Or is it just a good idea to not let it sit for a month before cleaning?

 

[bigedp51]

Clean immediately after shooting, the corrosive salt residue will start acting with any hint of moisture and start pitting the barrel.

The term "frosted bore" is used on milsurps to denote the pitting that occurs when the bore is not cleaned promptly.

A new bore will be smooth as glass.

A neglected bore that is not cleaned promptly will become frosted.

If neglected and not cleaned after firing the "frosted bore" will become pitted.

The British after firing would use a special funnel and pore at least 2 pints of boiling water down the bore of their Enfield rifles and then oil the bore.

 

[jontheturboguy]

Windex is your friend....

 

[paperboy]

Yep, just hit the bore with Windex...

 

[jd4320t]

here we go again.....

 

[17Chap]

I like to shoot my Mosin Nagant 91/30. But I don't always get around to cleaning it right away, sometimes may take a week or so. So... just how corrosive is the milsurp ammo? Same as storing the rifle in a saline solution? Or is it just a good idea to not let it sit for a month before cleaning?

How pregnant is pregnant, how dead is dead? Clean that bore man!

Jess

 

[Glockapoppadopolis]

Very! I once stored my AK for 2 months after shooting several hundred rounds of 7.62x39 milsurp, not on purpose just a brain fart. It was nasty looking. Didn't have any problems firing, had to test the AK legend, but took a while with scotch-brite to get it rust free again. Any milsurp ammo is usually nasty.

 

[Clay]

just dump some hot/warm water down he bore/chamber/receiver/bolt, the WD40 or clean as normal. Done.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Again, folks, for the record:

WINDEX is NOT the answer. It's the WATER that does the work. (Windex is 95-97% water).

It's NOT the surfactants, it's NOT the ammonia. Heck, not all glass cleaners even have ammonia added.

WATER is what'll dissolve and flush the corrosive salts. Water. Water. Water.

Don't spend your money on Windex or any glass cleaner. Take an empty glass-cleaner bottle & fill it with water. Peel the label off. Write, with a black Sharpie "gasoline". let folks see you spritzing your rifle with that bottle. See how long it takes for "gasoline" to become the solvent of choice for battling corrosive salts.

Seriously folks... WATER. Water. Water.

Interestingly enough, it's water that helps cause the corrosion in the first place; but I digress.

(Then you need to displace the water, because it causes it comes with it's own set of problems)

-J-

 

[leftsock]

... "gasoline" ...

Off topic idea:
Combo Mosin Nagant/flamethrower, ignited from the fireball of each round. Just throw on the bayonet and it covers all our favorite things: shooty, stabby, and burny.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Off topic idea:
Combo Mosin Nagant/flamethrower, ignited from the fireball of each round. Just throw on the bayonet and it covers all our favorite things: shooty, stabby, and burny.

THAT could be fun!

 

[U.S. Patriot]

As said, water. Water will flush any salts out of your barrel, etc.

 

[Plinker]

Thanks for the replies. I do flush out with water, but I have not since shooting last weekend. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to open my rifle case and find a pile of orange powder where a 72 year old rifle used to be.

 

[MtnBiker6510]

Water? I didn't know that. Cool

 

[woodsie57]

Let my idiot brother borrow mine, along w/40 rds. of milsurp,w/ the understanding he'd follow my cleaning instructions same day as fired. Got it back a month later,bore rusty as hell. Much bore brushing helped, but it will never be the same. Couple lessons learned....

 

[LuckyGunner]

There is no such thing as less corrosive. Ammo either is corrosive or not.

I use hot soap and water or windex and then standard cleaning. If you have to leave the range a couple minutes early to get home and clean, it's worth it. Just take the time to clean your weapons properly and they will take care of you when you need them.

__________________
7.62x54 ammo

 

[johntheplinker]

As several other posters have already stated, water is the key. The salt from corrosive primers is potassium chloride. It is more soluble in water by about 50 times than ammonia. Windex is about 97% water, with a little soap, ammonia and coloring added. The soap is o.k. because it reduces the surface tension of the water and helps it get down into any crevices and sharp corners of the rifling. The ammonia might, might, help remove copper fouling if there is enough ammonia in the solution.
As far as how soon damage is done to your barrel if you don't clean right away, is going to depend on the amount of moisture in the air. Unless the humidity is near zero, then it starts within hours. Even if you can't see it, there is rust forming at the molecular level. Somebody on another website posted test results on how long it took to damage a polished steel plate with a corrosive preimer, and IIRC in less than 36 hours it was measurable and there was little to no visible rust.

Off topic idea:
Combo Mosin Nagant/flamethrower, ignited from the fireball of each round. Just throw on the bayonet and it covers all our favorite things: shooty, stabby, and burny.

 

[BE Mike]

I've seen a bore of a Mosin nearly completely blocked by corrosion by some young kid who never cleaned it, but was willing to sell it

 

[ilfishin]

I was just given an M38 that "has been in the closet for 5 or 10 years". When I got it home I looked down the barrel and the best way I can describe what I saw is that it looks fuzzy. You know, like a peach. Is this thing toast or can it be saved? If it can be saved, what is the best way to go about it? I have never seen a bore in this bad of shape.

 

[2cool9031]

If you figure you won't get to clean it for awhile...just shoot the non- corrosive stuff....problem solved.